Since the beginning of time, there have been countless inequalities that go on between the sexes in every area possibly imaginable. Even the word “women” is defined as “a derivative of men,” which indicates womin still are nothing more than a lesser being compared to men.
It has only been within the last 40-50 years that womin have actually become self-reliant and have torn away from the stereotype of weak and feeble. And actually in this society, womin have managed to really make their way in the world and change biased perceptions of them. But for the most part, womin are still seen in a submissive role.
In older days, less than a century ago, womin always belonged to a man and were seen as property. A girl first belongs to her father, until she becomes a womin and is then married off to a man, and then she becomes his property. Womin have been seen as less than men, excess baggage, and only good for taking care of men.
Now that we are in the 21st century, should womin still be seen as less than men? Men are still more likely to get hired for jobs than womin, men still get away with a lot of harassing of womin in the workplace, home and public areas, and womin are still viewed as incompetent when it comes down to it.
I know that there are plenty of men that still think this way. Every day, millions of womin who walk down the street get cat-called and hollered and whistled at as if womin were animals. And every day, millions of womin endure unequal and unfair treatment from men just because they are trying to do their jobs.
For many womin, going to work can be even harder than actually working itself. There are many professions that are specifically oriented for womin, and most of the professions are for serving men, laborious work, or sexual fantasies men desire that womin have to indulge. From the time they are born, society tells womin what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to act.
And sadly, most womin don’t have the courage to fight back. In this country, there are many sexist people that still believe womin’s roles belong in the home, as caretakers. In everyday life I have seen such disgusting sights as men harassing womin and getting away with it, which makes me enraged.
What makes me even more upset about this whole situation is that the equal rights amendment, which would have been the 28th amendment of the United States stating that men and womin are equal, hasn’t even been passed. The battle of passing it has been going on for the last seven decades, and it has been a continuing struggle for womin.
The Bay Area is one of the only places in the country where womin are more widely accepted as workers and not just as caretakers. Yet, as liberal and leftist as the Bay Area is, there are still many people who believe womin should not be an active part of society.
For example, in my speech class, we were discussing gender roles and how men and womin relate to each other and how relationships are viewed differently by the sexes. One guy pointed out that his idea of a perfect relationship was 75% sex and 25% anything else. Intellectual ability did not matter to him, but so long as she was pretty and put out, that’s all that mattered to him.
That was bad enough, but then most of the guys agreed with him and laughed like it was a reality. I could understand if it was a male bonding situation and there were only guys in the class and if that’s what men do when they bond, that’s what they do.
But there were four womin, including myself in the class that were present when all the men laughed and put us down like we were commodities to have and prizes to be won, not people to actually be respected and admired as equals. The day that men start respecting womin in this country is the day that womin will actually get rights and equality in this world.
The United States is looked up to from the rest of the world as a land of opportunity and a land of freedom, both for men and womin from every country in the world. Yet if the United States can’t even have equality among the sexes and have an equal rights amendment passed, who are we to be looked up to?
Are we really that much better than the countries where womin are slaves or have their feet bound up so they can’t walk or have chastity belts put on them to ensure their fidelity? Womin deserve respect from men. We are equal towards them, and they need to recognize it.
Without womin, men wouldn’t survive. That’s a simple fact. And for some men to think they can deny us of anything, they’re really just denying themselves of the privilege of knowing us and what we can really do.
If some men think womin are going to stay down for much longer, they are in for a surprise